School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) Announces Winners of the First National Social Justice Challenge

Rutgers University-Newark School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) has announced the winners of the first national Social Justice Challenge, a competition where students from across the country had the opportunity to generate ideas for innovative projects that responded to a significant social justice issue currently affecting youth and young adult populations. Entrants competed for seed funding to launch and/or expand their proposals within two tracks – a "National Track" and a "Newark Track” – with the winning team in each track receiving a $5,000 cash prize and the opportunity to have their ideas implemented.

“A movement is underway (from Missouri, to Yale, to Princeton, to the over 100 colleges and universities that have recently organized protests calling for racial and social reforms) and students are demanding to see change not only on their campuses but in society at large,” said Lindsey McDougle, Assistant Professor at Rutgers University-Newark School of Public Affairs and Administration and Challenge Organizer. “This change that they are demanding is not always facilitated through organizations… but through their ideas, through their voice, and through their advocacy and activism efforts. This is exactly why the Social Justice Challenge was created and what the challenge allows them to do.”

The winners of the first national Social Justice Challenge sponsored by Rutgers University-Newark School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) are:

$5,000 Awardees – National-Track: Urban Food Forest

  • Matthew Closter, PhD Student, Public Affairs-Community Development (Rutgers University-Camden)
  • Liz Ramos, Undergraduate Student, Biology Department (Rutgers University-Camden)
  • Maryann Joseph, Undergraduate Student, Biology Department (Rutgers University-Camden)
  • Timnit Kefela, Graduate Student, Biology Department (Rutgers University-Camden)
  • Carols Matei-Ramos, LEAP Academy Fabrication Lab Director
  • LEAP Students: Eduardo Cruz, Jean Pelegrin, Beilka Gonzalez, Karina Velez, Calix Ortiz, Christian Azaris Melendez, Justin Estevez, Nasir Vaughs, Adoins Ortiz, Dimitrius Eliza, Samuel Morales

Brief Project Description: This proposal, from an interdisciplinary team of undergraduate and graduate students collaborating with LEAP Academy University Charter School high school in Camden, NJ, aims to construct an urban school food forest comprised of vegetable gardens and planting beds located on the grounds of the Cooper Street school. The goal is to tackle the crisis of Camden lacking adequate access to healthy and affordable food options and of contaminated social quality left over from mass industrialization by developing a unique self-sustaining process of recycling food waste from the school's cafeterias into reusable soil for quality planting and food cultivation.

$5,000 Awardees – Newark-Track: Juvenile Justice Education

  • Annabel Polioni, Law Student (Rutgers University-Newark)
  • Farah Rahaman, Law Student (Rutgers University-Newark)
  • Justin Williams, Graduate Student, Public Policy (Rutgers University-New Brunswick)
  • Victoria Saraiva, Law Student (Rutgers University-Newark)

Brief Project Description: This proposal addresses juvenile justice in the greater Newark area with a focus on education around legal rights and empowering recently released youth to participate in the policy reform movement.

National-Track Project Team – 1st Runner-Up: Reduce the Demand: Commercial Sex Consumer Education

  • Joyce Liou, Public Administration Graduate Student (San Diego State University)
  • Rene Velazquez, Public Administration Graduate Student (San Diego State University)
  • Elisa Villarreal, Public Administration Graduate Student (San Diego State University)

Newark-Track Project Team – 1st Runner-Up: Constructing for Tomorrow

  • John Palatucci, Graduate Student, Public Administration (Rutgers University-Newark)
  • Sharon Diaz-Palatucci, MS, CTRS- BH, Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Health Specialist The Schwickrath Construction Safety & Consulting Group, LLC Education Director
  • William Schwickrath, OSHA 500 Certified Trainer, The Schwickrath Construction Safety & Consulting Group, LLC Founder & CEO

This year’s competition attracted a considerable number of applications for both tracks, and a total of seven teams advanced to the final round of the challenge. Finalists presented their ideas (via video conferencing) to a panel of distinguished judges, including social justice experts, faculty members, and other community leaders. The Social Justice Challenge finals were live-streamed on November 23, 2015.

  • The proposals that advanced to the finals focused on:
  • Creation of an urban food forest
  • Commercial sex consumer education
  • Juvenile justice initiatives
  • Mental well-being of young adults
  • Art programs for the promotion of civic engagement
  • Provision of transitional support services and resources for vulnerable adolescents 
  • Skills based training in construction 

The panel evaluated all of the projects based on three criteria: Relevance (Does the proposal address a significant social justice issue affecting youth and young adults?); Innovation (Does the proposal reflect projects or initiatives that create (or expand upon) something new and different?); and Impact (Does the proposal show the project’s expected impact and the way in which success will be measured?).

For more information on the Social Justice Challenge and to view the recording of the finals, visit: http://spaa.newark.rutgers.edu/sjc

About Rutgers University-Newark School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA)
http://spaa.newark.rutgers.edu

The School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University-Newark educates and motivates students to choose careers in public service and administration through its innovative and comprehensive bachelor of arts in public and nonprofit administration, master of public administration (MPA), global executive online MPA, doctoral, and professional and graduate certificate programs. The school’s faculty generates knowledge and best practices in public service and administration, and collaborates with public and nonprofit sector organizations and professionals throughout the U.S. and the world. Guided by the principles of knowledge, competence, diversity, service, and ethics – with an emphasis on public service values and competencies for effective performance – SPAA promotes accountability, transparency, and performance in the public and nonprofit sectors.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Rutgers SPAA as:

  • 7th nationally in the core field of public management/administration
  • 4th nationally in information and technology management
  • 10th nationally in public finance and budgeting
  • 11th nationally in city management and urban policy
  • 18th nationally in nonprofit management
  • 23rd nationally in public affairs
  • 24th nationally in public policy analysis

Moreover, Best Value Schools ranks Rutgers SPAA:

  • 5th nationally as the most innovative public service school

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MEDIA CONTACT:                                                                                                         
Lindsey M. McDougle, PhD
Assistant Professor
School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University-Newark
lindsey.mcdougle@rutgers.edu; 973-353-5336